This is a list of the more notable companies that manufactured

traction engine A traction engine is a steam engine, steam-powered tractor used to move heavy loads on roads, plough ground or to provide power at a chosen location. The name derives from the Latin ''tractus'', meaning 'drawn', since the prime function of any t ...

s of any kind, including

steam tractor :''This article refers to the steam-powered agricultural tractor; for other types of steam tractor, see: Traction engine'' A steam tractor is a vehicle powered by a steam engine which is used for pulling. In North America, the term ''steam t ...

portable engine A portable engine is an engine, either a steam engine or an internal combustion engine, that sits in one place while operating (providing power to machinery), but (unlike a stationary engine) is wikt:portable#Adjective, portable and thus can be ...

s, and

steam roller A steamroller (or steam roller) is a form of road roller – a type of heavy construction machinery used for leveling surfaces, such as roads or airfields – that is powered by a steam engine. The leveling/flattening action is achieved through ...

Germany

Borsig Borsig is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * (1867–1897), German entrepreneur * August Borsig (1804–1854), German businessman * Conrad von Borsig (1873–1945), German mechanical engineer * Ernst Borsig Ernst August Pau ...

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

* Esterer, Germany (particularly known for their Ploughing engines) *

Hanomag Hanomag (Hannoversche Maschinenbau AG, ) was a German producer of steam locomotives, tractors, trucks and military vehicles in Hanover. Hanomag first achieved international fame by delivering numerous steam locomotives to Finland, Romania and ...

Hannover Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German States of Germany, state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germa ...

, Germany ''now part of Komatsu'' *

Henschel & Son Henschel & Son (german: Henschel und Sohn) was a German company, located in Kassel, best known during the 20th century as a maker of transportation equipment, including locomotives, trucks, buses and trolleybuses, and armoured fighting vehic ...

, of

Kassel Kassel (; in Germany, spelled Cassel until 1926) is a city on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Kassel and the district of the same name and had 201,048 inhabitants in December 2020 ...

, Germany *

Kemna Bau KEMNA BAU Andreae GmbH & Co. KG is one of the largest German construction companies and the largest street infrastructure provider in Germany with its headquarters inside the country. The company was originally founded under the name of J.Kemna/Br ...

, Breslau, (then) Germany *

Heinrich Lanz AG Heinrich Lanz AG is a former agricultural machinery manufacturer from Mannheim, Germany. Its tractors were sold bearing the LANZ brand. LANZ won numerous awards at the Strasbourg Agricultural Fair in 1866; namely four Gold, five Silver, and t ...

, of

Mannheim Mannheim (; Palatine German: or ), officially the University City of Mannheim (german: Universitätsstadt Mannheim), is the second-largest city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg after the state capital of Stuttgart, and Germany's 2 ...

, Germany * , Wellentrup, Germany () * ,

Magdeburg Magdeburg (; nds, label=Low Saxon, Meideborg ) is the capital and second-largest city of the German state Saxony-Anhalt. The city is situated at the Elbe river. Otto I, the first Holy Roman Emperor and founder of the Archdiocese of Magdebur ...

, Germany () * , Stadthalle Soest, Germany () * Scharer & Gross, Germany () * , Germany ()

Great Britain

There were a large number of manufacturers in Great Britain. Most started life as agricultural engineers, and many exported engines all over the world. Some of the manufacturers are listed below: * William Allchin Ltd,

Northampton Northampton () is a market town and civil parish in the East Midlands of England, on the River Nene, north-west of London and south-east of Birmingham. The county town of Northamptonshire, Northampton is one of the largest towns in England; ...

– '
MERL database entry
'' * John Allen & Co.,

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

- best Known for the

Allen Scythe The Allen Scythe, sometimes called the Allen Power Scythe, is a petrol-powered finger-bar mower. It was made from 1935 until 1973 by John Allen and Sons in Cowley, Oxfordshire. The company, formerly the Eddison and Nodding Company, was bought in 1 ...

. *

Aveling & Porter Aveling and Porter was a British agricultural engine and steamroller (road roller) manufacturer. Thomas Aveling and Richard Thomas Porter entered into partnership in 1862, and developed a steam engine three years later in 1865. By the earl ...

Rochester Rochester may refer to: Places Australia * Rochester, Victoria Canada * Rochester, Alberta United Kingdom *Rochester, Kent ** City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area ** History of Rochester, Kent ** HM Prison ...

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

* Bristol Wagon & Carriage Works Ltd Built steam wagons from 1904 to 1908 *

Brown & May Brown is a color. It can be considered a composite color, but it is mainly a darker shade of orange. In the CMYK color model used in printing or painting, brown is usually made by combining the colors orange and black. In the RGB color model use ...

Devizes Devizes is a market town and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. It developed around Devizes Castle, an 11th-century Norman architecture, Norman castle, and received a charter in 1141. The castle was besieged during the Anarchy, a 12th-century ...

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...

Charles Burrell & Sons Charles Burrell & Sons were builders of steam traction engines, agricultural machinery, steam lorries and steam tram engines. The company were based in Thetford, Norfolk and operated from the St Nicholas works on Minstergate and St Nicholas St ...

Thetford Thetford is a market town and civil parish in the Breckland District of Norfolk, England. It is on the A11 road between Norwich and London, just east of Thetford Forest. The civil parish, covering an area of , in 2015 had a population of 24,340 ...

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

– '
MERL database entry
'' *

Clayton & Shuttleworth Clayton & Shuttleworth was an engineering company located at Stamp End Works, Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England. The company was established in 1842 when Nathaniel Clayton (1811–1890) formed a partnership with his brother-in-law, Joseph Shuttlewo ...

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincol ...

– '
MERL database entry
'' * Edwin Foden, Sons & Co.,

Sandbach Sandbach (pronounced ) is the name of a historic market town and a civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East, Cheshire, England. The civil parish contains four settlements: Sandbach itself as the largest, Elworth, Ettiley Heath a ...

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's county t ...

* William Foster & Co Ltd, Lincoln * G J Fowell & Co, St Ives, Huntingdonshire * John Fowler & Co.,

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

*Gibbons & Robinson *

Thomas Green & Son Thomas Green & Son, Ltd. were engineers who manufactured a wide range of products at the Smithfield Foundry, Leeds, United Kingdom Introduction Thomas Green came to Leeds from Carlton-on-Trent near Newark and founded the company in 1835. T ...

, Leeds, Yorkshire. *

James & Frederick Howard James & Fred Howard of Britannia Ironworks, Bedford, later known simply as Howards, were one of the largest English makers of agricultural equipment, steam traction engines, and light railway equipment. At The Great Exhibition of 1851 they exhibite ...

, Bedford *

Mann's Patent Steam Cart and Wagon Company Mann's Patent Steam Cart and Wagon Company manufactured steam powered road vehicles in Leeds, England. History Early history The company was founded by James Hutchinson Mann, a native of Leeds. Mann had been apprenticed to J&H McLaren & C ...

, Leeds, Yorkshire * Marshall, Sons & Co.,

Gainsborough Gainsborough or Gainsboro may refer to: Places * Gainsborough, Ipswich, Suffolk, England ** Gainsborough Ward, Ipswich * Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, a town in England ** Gainsborough (UK Parliament constituency) * Gainsborough, New South Wales, ...

, Lincolnshire * J&H McLaren & Co., Leeds, Yorkshire * Paxman,

Colchester Colchester ( ) is a city in Essex, in the East of England. It had a population of 122,000 in 2011. The demonym is Colcestrian. Colchester occupies the site of Camulodunum, the first major city in Roman Britain and its first capital. Colches ...

Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...

* Ransomes, Sims & Jefferies Ltd,

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England, of which it is the county town. The town is located in East Anglia about away from the mouth of the River Orwell and the North Sea. Ipswich is both on the Great Eastern Main Line r ...

, Suffolk *

Richard Garrett & Sons Richard Garrett & Sons was a manufacturer of agricultural machinery, steam engines and trolleybuses. Their factory was Leiston Works, in Leiston, Suffolk, England. The company was founded by Richard Garrett in 1778. The company was active ...

Leiston Leiston ( ) is an English town in the East Suffolk non-metropolitan district of Suffolk, near Saxmundham and Aldeburgh, about from the North Sea coast, north-east of Ipswich and north-east of London. The town had a population of 5,508 at the ...

, Suffolk *

Robey & Co Robey and Co. was an engineering company based in Lincoln, England which can be traced back to at least 1849. In 1854 Watkinson and Robey ''Engineers and Millwrights'' were manufacturing Portable Engines and machinery of every description in Ru ...

, Lincoln – '
MERL database entry
'' * Ruston & Hornsby Ltd, Lincoln * F Savage,

King's Lynn King's Lynn, known until 1537 as Bishop's Lynn and colloquially as Lynn, is a port and market town in the borough of King's Lynn and West Norfolk in the county of Norfolk, England. It is located north of London, north-east of Peterborough, no ...

- Portable centre engines for

amusement rides Amusement rides, sometimes called carnival rides, are mechanical devices or structures that move people especially kids to create fun and enjoyment. Rides are often perceived by many as being scary or more dangerous than they actually are. This ...

Sentinel Waggon Works Sentinel Waggon Works Ltd was a British company based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire that made steam-powered lorries ( steam wagons), railway locomotives, and later, diesel engined lorries, buses and locomotives. History Alley & MacLellan, Se ...

Shrewsbury Shrewsbury ( , also ) is a market town, civil parish, and the county town of Shropshire, England, on the River Severn, north-west of London; at the 2021 census, it had a population of 76,782. The town's name can be pronounced as either 'Sh ...

Shropshire Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to th ...

- Utilised vertical boilers * Tasker & Sons,

Andover Andover may refer to: Places Australia * Andover, Tasmania Canada * Andover Parish, New Brunswick * Perth-Andover, New Brunswick United Kingdom * Andover, Hampshire, England ** RAF Andover, a former Royal Air Force station United States * Ando ...

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...

* William Tuxford & Sons,

Boston, Lincolnshire Boston is a market town and inland port in the borough of the same name in the county of Lincolnshire, England. Boston is north of London, north-east of Peterborough, east of Nottingham, south-east of Lincoln, south-southeast of Hull ...

. *

Wallis & Steevens Wallis & Steevens of Basingstoke, Hampshire, England produced agricultural equipment, traction engines and steam and diesel road rollers. History The company was founded in 1856 by Arthur Wallis and Charles Haslam in newly built premises ...

Basingstoke Basingstoke ( ) is the largest town in the county of Hampshire. It is situated in south-central England and lies across a valley at the source of the River Loddon, at the far western edge of The North Downs. It is located north-east of Southa ...

, Hampshire – '
MERL database entry
'' * Yorkshire Patent Steam Wagon Co. Leeds, Yorkshire

North America

Key: '~' indicates a manufacturer for whom no known products survive. * Advance Thresher Co. – ''later merged with the M. Rumely Co. to create

Advance-Rumely The Advance-Rumely Company of La Porte, Indiana was an American pioneering producer of many types of agricultural machinery, most notably threshing machines and large tractors. Started in 1853 manufacturing threshers and later moved on to steam e ...

Thresher Co.'' * Advance-Rumely Thresher Co., La Porte, Indiana *~Althaus Ewing & Co. *~American Engine Co. *

American-Abell Engine and Thresher Company The Advance-Rumely Company of La Porte, Indiana was an American pioneering producer of many types of agricultural machinery, most notably threshing machines and large tractors. Started in 1853 manufacturing threshers and later moved on to steam e ...

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

: Amongst other models, built three-wheelers with a single wheel mounted on a fork perch bracket beneath the smokebox. *Ames Iron Works *~Atlas Engine Works *Aultman Co. *Aultman-Taylor Machinery Co. * Avery Power Machinery Co., Peoria, Illinois * A.D. Baker Company *

Best Manufacturing Company The Best Manufacturing Company (sometimes known as the ''Daniel Best Company'') of San Leandro, California was a manufacturer of farm machinery, known for its steam tractors. History The company was formed in 1871 by Daniel Best. The company' ...

, San Leandro, California *Birdsall Engine Co. *Blumentritt Co. * Buffalo-Pitts Steam Roller Co. * Buffalo-Springfield Roller Co. *~Byron, Jackson Machine Works * Case, J.I. Co. *Colean Mfg. Co. *C & G Cooper & Co's. *Crowel Mfg. Co. *Clyde Iron Works Co., Duluth, MN * D. June & Co. *~Davidson & Rutledge *Farquhar, A.B. Co. *~Fishkill Landing Machine Co. * Frick & Co. * Gaar Scott & Co. *

Geiser Manufacturing Geiser Manufacturing Company was an early manufacturing company in Waynesboro, Pennsylvania. Geiser Manufacturing was incorporated in 1869 by Peter and Daniel Geiser. The company built grain separators, threshers, plows, and steam traction en ...

, makers of the Peerless line of steam tractors, later bought out by Emerson-Brantingham *~George W. Morris *~George Page & Co. *George White & Sons Co. Ltd., London and Brandon, Canada. *Greyhound, Banting Mfg. Co. *Groton, Charles Perrige & Co. *~Hagerstown Steam Engine & Machine Co. *~Harrisburg Car Mfg. Co. *Harrison Machine Works (Jumbo) *Heilman Machine Works *~

Holt Manufacturing Company The Holt Manufacturing Company began with the 1883 founding of Stockton Wheel Service in Stockton, California, United States. Benjamin Holt, later credited with patenting the first workable crawler ("caterpillar") tractor design, incorporated ...

''(became

Caterpillar Inc. Caterpillar Inc. (stock symbol CAT) is an American ''Fortune'' 500 corporation and the world's largest construction-equipment manufacturer. In 2018, Caterpillar was ranked number 65 on the ''Fortune'' 500 list and number 238 on the Global ''Fo ...

)'' *~Hooven, Owens & Rentschler Co. *

Huber Manufacturing Co. The New Huber Traction engine company of Marion, Ohio, (founded in 1854) built engines from 185 to 1903.Minneapolis Threshing Machine Co., Hopkins, Minn. *~Morningstar Mfg. Co. (Napoleon), Napoleon, Ohio *~Muncy Traction Engine Co., Muncy, Pennsylvania *New-Giant, Northwest Thresher Co., Stillwater, Minn. *New Hamburg Mfg. Co. Ltd., New Hamburg, Ontario, Canada * Nichols & Shepard Co., Battle Creek, Michigan *~Ohio Engine & Thresher Co., Upper Sandusky, Ohio *~Owens, Lane & Duyer Co., Hamilton, Ohio *Peerless, Geiser Mfg. Co., Waynesboro, Pennsylvania *Peterson N. C. & Sons, Sarnia, Ontario, Canada * Port Huron Engine & Thresher Co., Port Huron, Mich. * Reeves & Co., Columbus, Indiana *~Remington Co., Woodburn, Oregon *Robert-Bell Engine & Thresher Co., Seaforth, Ontario, Canada *~Roberts & Dean Co., Sacramento, California *Robinson & Co., Richmond, Indiana *M Rumley Co., LaPorte, Indiana – ''later merged with the Advance Thresher Co. to create

Thresher Co.'' * Russell & Company (Steam Tractor), Massillon, Ohio (1848-1962) *~Ryan & McDonald, Waterloo, New York *Sawyer-Massey & Co. Ltd., Hamilton, Ontario, Canada ''after merger with Harris to form Massey-Harris later became

Massey Ferguson Massey Ferguson Limited is an American agricultural machinery manufacturer. The company was established in 1953 through the merger of farm equipment makers Massey-Harris of Canada and the Ferguson Company of the United Kingdom. It was based in T ...

'' *Scheidler, R. Co., Newark, Ohio *Springfield Engine & Thresher Co., Springfield, Ohio (later became OS Kelly Co and Kelly Springfield) *Stevens, A. W. & Son Co., Auburn, New York *Stevens, A. W. Co., Marinette, Wisconsin *Twentieth Century Mfg. Co., Marinette, Wisconsin *~Union-Iron Works (Walker), Newark, Ohio *Upton Mfg. Co., Port Huron, Michigan * Waterloo Mfg. Co. Ltd., Waterloo, Ontario, Canada * Waterous Engine Works Co. Ltd., Bradford, Ontario, Canada *Watertown Engine Company, Watertown, New York *Westinghouse Co., Schenectady, New York

Westinghouse Farm Engine A Westinghouse Farm Engine from 1890 The Westinghouse Farm Engine was a small, vertical-boiler steam engine A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid. The steam engine uses the f ...

*Wood Brothers Thresher Co., Des Moines, Iowa *Wood, S.W. & Son Co., Clyde, New York *Wood, Taber & Morse Co., Eaton, New York

Rest of the world

* Aillot,

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

* Munktells Mekaniska Verkstad,

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

''(not Bolinders), now part of Volvo group'' * ,

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

''now part of

Babcock & Wilcox Babcock & Wilcox is an American renewable, environmental and thermal energy technologies and service provider that is active and has operations in many international markets across the globe with its headquarters in Akron, Ohio, USA. Historicall ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:List Of Traction Engine Manufacturers Traction engines

Traction Engines A traction engine is a steam-powered tractor used to move heavy loads on roads, plough ground or to provide power at a chosen location. The name derives from the Latin ''tractus'', meaning 'drawn', since the prime function of any traction engine ...

Germany

Great Britain

North America

Rest of the world

See also

References